Question re: hockey tryouts....

[HockeyMom44]

My son is currently a senior in high school and would like to continue playing inline hockey in college. However, most colleges/universities have tryouts after school has started..... Due to our geographic location, he will likely have to continue his education in another state -and he wants to go to school where he can play hockey. As a parent shelling out big bucks for out of state tuition, I would sure hate to get him enrolled and moved to another state only to find out he didn't make the team.... Is there any way to have a "pre tryout" for those students in this position. On another note, we do realize this is just a club sport - but if there is any way he can continue playing for four more years (and make his college experience a memorable time) then we are all for it! Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated!

[MBurke]

From experience, very few teams cut players who come to tryouts and are willing to commit to practicing and traveling with the team the whole season. If your son is worried about making a specific club's team, it's best to get in touch with that individual club.

They will gladly let you know their tryout/cut policies as well as the possibility of coming out to watch your son locally - many schools are willing to do this or send a rep out to a tournament. You might even want to make a "promo" video if you have a camcorder.

Even better, since your son will likely want to visit schools that he is interested in attending, you can likely contact the club and see if they will invite him to skate with a few players before/after a practice.

Most of the information for contacting clubs is available through www.ncrha.org, but if you're having trouble finding information for a specific club, feel free to get in touch with me and I'll see what I can dig up for you.

[RichardGraham]

Hi HockeyMom44,

Can you retroactively adopt me? ;)

[DCbullets14]

Any idea what schools hes looking at? From what I have read most schools are in desperate need of players. In addition a decent number of schools have multiple teams so Im sure that he could find a roster spot on one of them.
In the event that he finds a school he really likes, and they do not have a team their are a number of other venues to play in. The AIHL has both a minor and elite division in nearly every state on the east coast and many states throughout the country. I would recommend this option over picking a school simply because they have a team.

[hockeyseed]

In the event that he finds a school he really likes, and they do not have a team their are a number of other venues to play in. The AIHL has both a minor and elite division in nearly every state on the east coast and many states throughout the country. I would recommend this option over picking a school simply because they have a team.

I am just an observer of college roller hockey, since my son has just started the 11th grade and is a couple of years away from college. However, I attend most of the college roller hockey events at The Sportsplex in Feasterville, PA, and know a number of people who play on the local teams.

I agree that you shouldn't pick a school just because it has a roller hockey team, but in my opinion, the fact that a school has a roller hockey team might be a deciding factor if your son is deciding between schools that interest him.

However, the AIHL and college roller hockey experience are quite different. If you haven't read Jeff Cohen's article on the ECHRA website, check it out:

http://ecrha.net/article.php?article_id=53775

College roller hockey isn't just about the game, though that's certainly a big part of it. It's about learning to manage a team (no team moms and dads to do it for you). It's about balancing school and play time. It's about learning to successfully fit the game you love into your life as a college student during a time when you are finding out a lot about yourself.

I am not knocking AIHL (or PIHA or MLRH) by saying this. All of these opportunities to play have their place. DCBullets is quite right when he says your son can use these venues as a way of playing roller hockey if his top picks for college don't have a roller hockey team.

On the other hand, in the spirit of college roller hockey, he could also look at this as an opportunity to start a new college team!

Best of luck,

[hockeyplay41]

i agree that picking a college for just roller hockey is a poor choice, however also must be realistic on the players ability, we all know some schools are very competitive (i.e neumann wcu and D1 schools) you dont want attend a school and not make a team or have higher expectations and not be able to fulfill them

[GoRangrHky]

While I wouldn't attend a school specifically because they have a team, the quality of program that you go to can be key. The good part about DI schools is that you know that the teams are for the most part stable, structured, competitive, and well organized. The reason why I would suggest attending a school that has a team versus playing AIHL or something is that you will be with many of the guys on your team day in and day out. From the moment you step on campus, you know that there is a group of students out there that at least share a common interest with you. While in the case of our group, which is around 40 players, it is impossible to be best friends with everyone, you're bound to find a few players that you will build off of that initial roller hockey connection. I see that happening with our freshmen this year, and these kids do nothing but talk hockey with one another- and they love it.